As women age, lose weight, or become inactive, their bustlines tend to be less firm. When women sleep on their sides, their breasts hang together causing wrinkles to form in the center of the chest, just above and between their breasts.
Although the past few years have witnessed the development of therapeutic bolsters and corrective brassieres, there is no prior art known which functions to reduce or to prevent wrinkles in human breasts.
The prior art discloses several bolsters used for conventional and therapeutic purposes. A conventional bolster is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,860 to Frazier, wherein the bolster comprises a rigid, hollow frame with a foam material covering the frame. The invention does not suggest its use between the breasts in order to reduce wrinkles in the upper bustline.
Other therapeutic bolsters are depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,356,579 to Bond and 4,081,870 to Iannucci. Bond discloses bolster-type cushions with good handling and manipulative characteristics for therapeutic use, such as for patients reclining in a sleeping bed or convalescents utilizing chair-like supports. The bolster-type cushion is provided with a handle for easy maneuvering, a water-proof jacket to allow liberal immersion or cleansing, and treads and other means for stabilizing the cushion. The inventions disclosed in these prior devices do not suggest their use between breasts to reduce wrinkles in the upper bustline of women.
Iannucci discloses a bolster used for physical therapy, especially for handicapped children. The bolster comprises a set of spaced, hollowed-out disks, with a solid disk at each end, a cylindrical shell made of rigid material such as sheet metal which is wrapped about the disks, and foam rubber first adhered to the shell and then covered with vinyl. The invention disclosed does not suggest its use between breasts to reduce wrinkles in the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,412 to Guttentag depicts a mastectomy brace, which exerts pressure on a breast implant to correct the projection of the reconstructed breast into compliance with that of a normal breast. Unlike the present invention, which is placed between the breasts, the mastectomy brace engages the upper and outer surfaces of the breast as well as the chest area surrounding the breast sides and is for directing the breasts' projection.
None of the prior art patents discussed above addresses the need to reduce or prevent wrinkles in the upper bustline. Accordingly, the present invention, as disclosed and claimed herein, is believed to provide a novel apparatus designed to lessen wrinkles which form in the upper bustline of human breasts while the wearer sleeps on her side.